I know I am not alone in this. On behalf of others who have home based businesses – I’d like to say: “We may be home, but we are still working!”
Being a home based contractor, consultant, freelancer, or entrepreneur is both a blessing and a curse. For example, it’s a blessing that I don’t have to get all dolled up and drive to work outside the home. It’s a curse in that it requires discipline to keep working and not get distracted with either household responsibilities or by fun things to do.
It’s a blessing that I don’t have to punch a clock or report at a specific time. It’s a curse that you are never really off the clock. You can’t leave your work at work because it’s always there when you are home.
It’s a blessing that I get to work in the comforts of my own home. It’s a curse that I work in the comforts of my own home. Others tend to think that since you work at home, it’s not really work. I do have the freedom to set my own schedule, yet others try to take this freedom away.
- Need a ride to the airport? LA will do it; she’s home.
- Need someone to chit chat with? Call LA; she’s home.
- Want to stop by for coffee and shoot the breeze? Call LA; she’s home.
None of those things are such a bad deal, if I had volunteered to stop working in the middle of my work day, but there are a lot of assumptions about my availability. I still have objectives, goals, tasks and activities that need to be accomplished as a business owner.
Consider if I worked outside the home:
- Need a ride to the airport? LA can’t do it; she’s giving a presentation at the Capitol.
- Need someone to chit chat with? Can’t call LA; she’s in an important meeting with the suppliers.
- Want to stop by for coffee and shoot the breeze? Can’t go see LA; she’s teaching a class.
It would not be reasonable to expect I could just stop working for social activities. Yet because my office is located in my home, instead of in a building, some assume I can just stop working whenever I want to. Well, actually in some cases that is true “¦ but then the work isn’t getting done.
Freedom to set my work schedule in no way means freedom not to do the work. It just means I’ll have to make up for lost time later. And later generally means the time when I had planned to be done working and doing something fun.
If you know someone who works out of their home, please be respectful of their time. If they had the freedom to play with you all day, then it wouldn’t be called working at home.
About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland, France, Spain and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/ or for updates on Facebook LIKE www.facebook.com/ThrivingCandleBusiness and twitter @directsalesblog
SOOOOOO True!
I’ll echo every sentiment you wrote!
Thanks TB. It may sound harsh, but it needed to be said. Of course those who are guilty of this will never think it’s directed toward them.